Night Tide
by ScarlettMae
Summary: When Rylie Montgomery entered Fangtasia that night, she had no idea it would turn her life upside down forever. Eric Northman would not rest until he found out what she was, and then one night he gives her an offer she can't refuse. How will Rylie protect herself, and her friends from the ongoing threats around her? Eric/OC
1. Brief Encounter

**BRIEF ENCOUNTER**

I never wanted to go to that stupid vampire bar, but my friends had dragged, or should I say forced me along. They tried to convince me into going, telling me how much fun they were going to have. But fun was the opposite from what I was going to have tonight.

Fangtasia wasn't the first vampire bar I had been to. There had been ones in St. Louis, New Orleans, and even Jackson. I liked none of them. Vampires seemed to be stuck in the past a little, decorating their bars with a cheesy red and black color scheme. Trust me, every vampire bar looked exactly the same.

It wasn't that I didn't like vampires, on the contrary in fact. I had no problem with the supernatural inhabitants of our world. Vampires, shapeshifters, I even heard people talk about the existence of faeries, I didn't dislike any of them. In fact, I was a supernatural being myself.

Okay, I have to admit, I'm only a tiny part of a humanoid, but that still counted, right? It had taken me my entire life to figure out, but one day after confronting my mother about where my insane swimming skills came from, she had told me the truth. She and my grandmother had been one as well - a mermaid, or siren as we preferred to be called.

My grandmother had been the only full-blooded mermaid I had ever met, and I counted myself lucky I was only a half blood (more like quarter blood but I don't think that really is a thing). My feet didn't change into fins when my legs hit the water, I couldn't control liquid forms with my hands. I didn't seduce men and drowned them into the sea. The only special talents I had were that I was an exellent swimmer, had a mediocre singing voice, and apparently I smelled like the sea all the time.

Do I admit to wanting more talents than that? Yes. But the thought of changing into a mermaid every time I would come into contact with the water put me off. I was happy with my 1/4 siren heritage.

Of course I didn't tell anyone about my 'condition.' As far I knew, sirens weren't even known to exist by the general public. Due to my personal safety I decided to keep it a secret for everyone I knew but my close family, neither of whom were living in Louisiana so keeping that secret was easy.

My friend Madison managed to find a parking space near to the entrance of Fangtasia. God, I hated that name. It might've been fashionable in the 80s, but in today's world it was anything but fashionable.

The bar was more often than not packed with guests. The last time I had been here it was filled with fangbangers, hoping they would be taken home with a vampire. I never understood why they wanted to get bitten willingly, but I guess that's just me.

"Here we are," Luann, my other friend who was seated in the passenger seat, exclaimed excited. "How does my hair look?"

"Your hair looks fine," I replied, looking at her from the backseat. Luann had worn her red hair in a loose ponytail. She had curled the ends of her locks with a curling iron.

I hoped my friends were going to stay out of trouble tonight. The fact that vampires made them so excited scared me a little. I doubted they knew how manipulative they could be.

Madison pulled the mirror in the car in her direction to reapply some mascara, while I remained seated on the backseat, wishing I was home. The things I did for my friends.

"Ready to go?" she said, pushing the mirror away from her so it was back in the position it was before.

I nodded, not sure if I really was or not. "Let's get this over with."

We got out of the car and made our way over to the entrance. Madison and Luann were both wearing tight dresses which showed off their amazing bodies. While they were balancing on a pair of expensive stiletto heels, I was comfortable in my pair of flats I had paired of with my favorite pair of jeans and a black lacy top.

It was no surprise we had to stand in line to enter, which didn't bother me. This way, I could check out all the humans and non-humans entering the bar before us.

For me it was easy to spot who the vampires were and who weren't. I don't know if it was easier for one supernatural being to spot another, or if everyone could see the glow coming off their faces.

A way to distinguish the fangbangers was by the way they were dressed. I think I was the only girl not in a curve hugging dress and sparkly heels that night, and I suddenly was wondering if I was a little underdressed.

While Luann and Madison were getting more and more excited as we got closer to the entrance, I crossed my arms in front of my chest, hoping Fangtasia would be full and we, sadly, had to go home.

We had to show our ID's at the door. Before I could protest, because there was no way I looked younger than 21, Madison had already kicked me with her heel, telling me to behave.

"What if they don't let us in?!" she hissed.

I shrugged but as I didn't want to ruin the night for my friends completely, I pulled out my ID card from my sequin clutch, the only sparkly thing of my outfit.

"I've seen you here before, haven't I?" the vampire checking everyone's ID said when it was my turn to go in. Madison and Luann were waiting for me behind her, eagerly looking around, discussing what cheesy named cocktail they were going to get.

"Yes, I have been here before," I replied dryly, hoping she would just let me in. The vampire was dressed in a tube skirt that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was curled to perfection and her pin-striped blouse matched the color of her eyes. Dare I say she looked kind of good, for a vampire?

"I never forget a face," she continued with a smile. She handed me my ID back and stepped aside. "Have fun tonight."

Her smile wasn't a genuine smile, I noted. It was more a mischievous smile, but I paid no mind to it. She was a vampire after all and I never really knew what went on inside their head.

"What do you want, Rylie?" Madison asked, as they already had made up their minds. "My treat."

I nodded gratefully before letting my eyes scan the list with the cocktails they had. I chuckled when I saw a plain old Bloody Mary on the list. It was the only cocktail which name they hadn't changed to fit the vampire theme.

"I'll take a Bloody Mary," I replied, sliding on a bar stool. I might as well get a comfortable spot for the next few hours, seeing as Madison and Luann would go dancing. I had offered to drive them back tonight, so I told myself only to get one drink tonight, an offer which I was already regretting.

It always struck me that no other supernatural being visited these vampires bars except for vampires themselves, and me, of course. I always wondered if others would know what I was. Werewolves hadn't outed themselves to the public, technically. Yet I knew of their existence.

Luann asked if I would be fine all by myself at the bar. I quickly told them I would absolutely be fine. My eyes followed them as the shuffled to the dance floor. I couldn't help but feel a little protective of them. Even though there hadn't been any known of accidents at Fangtasia, this was still vampire territory, and while glamoring didn't work on me, it worked on them.

Once I felt like Luann and Madison were okay on the dance floor, I let my eyes scan the rest of the place. It looked exactly the same since the last time I had been here. Not a single piece of furniture had been moved. Even the staff who were working tonight I seemed to remember.

I took a sip from my Bloody Mary, realizing I didn't even liked these cocktails but I didn't want to drink one of the badly named ones. Such a rebel I was. The fact that they even made cocktails specifically for vampires amused me a little, and I couldn't help but wonder what exactly they tasted like. Of course I had licked the blood of my finger whenever I got a cut. Did blood taste the same as those cocktails? Did my blood taste the same since I was part siren?

"You seem lonely," a voice spoke to my right. I turned my head to find a guy with long dark hair, both arms covering in tattoos and leather clothes talking to me. It took me only one second to see he was a vampire. My eyes shot back to my friends for a few seconds, but they were still safe and sound and dancing by themselves. Who knew I would be the one who'd talk to a vampire before any of them?

"I'm fine," I replied with a fake smile, hoping he'd get the hint. If he was after blood, he'd have more luck with someone else.

"Do you come here often?" He didn't get the hint and sat down on the bar stool next to mine. I couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Not really," I shrugged, figuring if I gave him these blunt answers he'd go away.

"I noticed. You don't really seem dressed to be here. Did you just get out of work?" he said.

I scoffed. Was this guy serious? I wanted to reply with a snarky comment, but maybe doing so in a room full of vampires wasn't the best idea.

"I didn't," I said, raising my eyebrows. I took another sip from my Bloody Mary, realizing that I'd finished my drink. The rest of the evening I had to survive on non-alcoholic drinks.

"You still look beautiful, though. Don't get me wrong," he tried again. He sure was persistent.

"Thanks, but honey, let me get this straight. I'm not a fangbanger so if you want to get something to eat tonight, I suggest you go for someone else in this bar. I just came here with some friends."

I hoped that would put him in his place. I hated these kind of vampires, the kind that seemed to think they were entitled to everything and everyone. I also hated it when humans thought the same way.

Just when the guy was about the speak again, someone else appeared right besides me. I hadn't even seen her walking towards me, but the gush of wind that went through my blonde hair suggested she came here at vampire speed. I always wished I could move that fast.

"Eric requests your presence," the lady who let us in at the door said with an emotionless voice. She looked bored and somewhat annoyed.

"Who?" I asked, having never heard of someone named Eric before. Plus, why would anyone want my presence?

"Him," she replied, nodding behind her.

That was when I saw him. How did I not notice him sitting on that throne before? I was definitely sure he wasn't there the last time I visited Fangtasia, or the last time I looked that direction for that matter.

Eric looked just as bored as the lady in front of me. He was sitting in his throne as if it was his duty to sit there, not for his enjoyment. He was wearing black pants and a black tank top, which made his pale and glowy skin stand out. His hair was just as blonde as mine and slicked back. Dare I say he looked handsome? And important, he also looked important. What would he want with me?

"Why does he request my presence?" I said maybe a little bit mocking. It always amused me when vampires used words and sentences that didn't really belong in this century anymore. I guess that's what you get when you are immortal.

"Ask him."

I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting any more information out of her. My eyes scanned the crowd for Luann and Madison but they were still dancing the night away. I purposely didn't say goodbye to the guy sitting next to me, and I started to make my way through the crowd.

I would be lying if I didn't feel my heartbeat increase the closer I got to him. There was something about him that I couldn't place. He seemed so powerful, so strong. I guessed he had to be a lot older than the rest of the vampires in this place. He seemed different, also.

"You wanted to see me?" I stumbled a little as I finally stood before him. My eyes scanned his body and I noticed how well-toned his muscles were.

Eric turned his head to face me. I felt his eyes take in every inch of my body, which made me a little more nervous than I already was.

"Why do you smell like the sea?" he asked, never moving on his throne.

I felt a little awkward standing in front if him like that. Like he was a king and I was an unlawful peasant, ready to be punished for stealing parsnips.

"I don't know," I replied, even though I did know. "I guess it's the perfume I bought today."

I always counted myself lucky I was a good liar.

"I could smell you all the way from the room."

Damn, he must be very old if his senses are that good. I knew my sea smell was pretty strong for some creatures such as vampires and werewolves, but how did he smell me above all the sweaty and stinking bodies filling up the building?

"I'll put on less perfume next time," I replied, hoping I could talk my way out of this. There was no way I would admit to what I was in the middle of this bar. Any vampire could hear me and attack me. Plus, technically mermaids were only creatures that existed in fairytales.

Eric frowned and I knew he didn't believe me. He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. His eyes were now at the somewhat same level as mine and I could already guess what was coming next.

"Why do you smell like that?" he asked again, but this time his eyes focussed on mine and he spoke more intensely.

I shook my head. "I told you, because of my perfume." I didn't want to admit to the fact that glamor didn't work on me, but it seemed that Eric already figured that out himself.

He leaned back again, his fingers stroking his chin while he was narrowing his eyes, glaring at me.

"Interesting," he seemed to mumble, but I could've heard him wrong over the noise of the bar.

I almost wanted to ask his permission to leave, but then I remembered he had no power over me. I spun on my heel and quickly tried to push myself through the dancing crowd.

Luckily, I managed to find Luann and Madison quickly. I pulled Madi's arm, making her look at me. "We have to go," I told her.

"Why?" Madison replied. She didn't stop dancing. "I'm having such a good time! Plus that vampire over there, is totally checking me out."

"He isn't checking you out, he's checking out how fast he can sink his teeth into your neck. We gotta go now," I tried once again, this time more sternly.

Luann realized something was wrong and she stopped dancing. She pulled Madi with her as I led them to the exit, sincerely hoping the lady who had ordered me to Eric wouldn't be standing there.

But I guess luck was in my favor that night as the lady wasn't there as we headed outside, the cold air hitting my skin. Somehow I felt relieved to be standing outside of the smoky building, as if Eric couldn't get to me here. Inside was his territory, outside was anyone's.

"What's up?" Madison said annoyed. "Why do we have to go? I know you don't like it in there Rylie, but we've only been here for an hour!"

I couldn't blame her really. She had been looking forward to this night so much, yet I couldn't bear it to be standing in the same room with that man for any longer.

It was bad enough already when a vampire had laid his eyes on you. It was even worse when he had taken an interest in you.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story! I started writing this last week while I was on holiday and I'm currently very excited about it. This story will revolve mainly around Rylie and Eric and there will be absolutely no Sookie involved. The story is kind of AU, as it doesn't really go with any season and it's not exactly pre-season 1. I also wanted to come out straight and tell you what Rylie was. I didn't feel like writing a story only based on Rylie finding out what she is as I feel like we've already dealt with that in the main tv series.

Anyway, please let me know what you think and if you want me to continue writing! Hopefully I'll see you next time!


	2. The Horn Blows at Midnight

As a siren (okay, one fourth of a siren but don't get all technical on me), baths were one of my favorite times of the week. My mind could come to ease as my body floated in the water, the only sound in the room the dripping of my tap because I had been too lazy to fix it.

It had been a while since I went for a swim. In a bath tub, I was in the comfort of my own home. I was in the safety of my own home. In a public swimming pool, I was surrounded by everyone I knew. I was a better swimmer than anyone in Bon Temps, yet the fear of my legs suddenly transforming into a tail discouraged me from going. The chance it would happen, would be extremely small, as it had never happened to me before, and it could very possibly be true it would never ever happen to me, but what if it did happen? My secret would be out to everyone.

When it got really hot in the summer I sometimes put up a little kiddie pool in the garden, to cool down. I only filled it half way, so only half of my thighs would be covered in water if I sat down in it. It wouldn't put me in danger yet it would cool me down just about enough.

Sometimes I laughed at my own idiocy. I mean, how ridiculous was I? I was scared of something that was likely to never happen. I wasn't a full blood mermaid, I was only a quarter mermaid. My mother was half and she never transitioned into a real mermaid when being in the water. Yet, I felt like you could never be too careful with these things. You never knew who was lurking behind the bushes in your garden, seeing a young woman's legs suddenly transforming into a fish tail. That would make quite the headline in the local newspaper.

I might have spent more than an hour in my bath tub. The water had was almost cold, but I didn't mind. In fact, it was quite refreshing considering the harsh and moist summers Louisiana had. Even in the winter it never really seemed to get any colder in this state.

Madison had been a little angry with me for leaving Fangtasia so early. I couldn't blame her. Maybe I should apologize, although I could hardly tell her the truth. Eric had scared me, and a vampire had never scared me before. I had been intimidated by them, yes, but scared never. He was unlike any vampire (and any man for that matter) I had ever met before.

When I patted myself dry with my towel, I realized how late it was already. I was supposed to meet one of my best friends, Lafayette Reynolds, in less than an hour and I still had to do my hair, make-up and pick out what clothing I was gonna wear.

I had known Lafayette and his cousin Tara since I was very little. I always managed to get along with Lafayette better than with Tara, who seemed to speak her mind all of the time, which bothered me sometimes. I had always been a little reserved about my opinion. Maybe I was scared I might blurted out something about being a mermaid.

In less than half an hour I managed to fix my blonde hair in a ponytail. It was still wet but with this weather it would dry within minutes. I wore a pair of cut off jeans, a yellow tank top and a pair of sandals. I kept my make up to a minimum since I knew I was going to sweat it off within an instant anyway.

There was still plenty of time left for me to get over to Lafayette's apartment, which wasn't too far away from where I was living. I owned one of the three houses on the edge of town near Merlotte's. From my bedroom window I could see the swamps and my backyard sometimes got a visit from the alligators.

My old beat up truck barely made it. I made a mental note to get someone to look at it, but I feared it couldn't be saved anymore. I had had it since I was 16, plus I wasn't the first owner. It would be sad to say goodbye to it, as I've had so many fond memories with that truck.

"You're late," Lafayette spoke. He was standing on the balcony outside of his apartment, a blunt in one hand.

"Only by one minute," I replied, as I moved up the steps. I embraced him in a hug.

Lafayette offered me a drag from the blunt, but I shook my head. It was too early for me to be smoking, besides, I wanted to keep my focus the entire day.

We moved inside and I sat down on the couch. Every week we got together to gossip about the entire town and catch up on our lives. I could tell Lafayette everything and I had to get what had happened last night off my chest.

"So," Lafayette began, placing a glass of ice cold coke in front of me, from which I took a sip of eagerly. "How was your little club night?"

I sighed. I had told him about going to Fangtasia and about how much I didn't want to go. If only I'd listened to myself and stayed at home, then I would have never met Eric.

"It was the fucking worst," I said.

Lafayette raised his eyebrow before taking a final drag from his blunt and putting it out. "Tell me everything," he spoke.

"I think a vampire might have taken an interest in me."

"Honey, what vampire wouldn't have an interest in you?" Lafayette replied. "You look de-li-cious."

I cocked my head to the right, and blushed slightly. But this had nothing to do with my looks. This had everything to do with the fact I was a mermaid, something even Lafayette didn't know yet. It suddenly struck me that maybe I should tell him. I tell him everything anyway, and I knew I could trust him with my life. My secret would be safe with him.

"It's not that," I continued. "Lafayette, I'm gonna tell you something that has gotta stay between us, okay? No one, and I mean no one can know. If anyone found out, especially a vampire, my life would be in extreme danger, you understand?"

Lafayette frowned but continued to nod. "Of course. You know I don't rat nobody out. What's up? You aren't addicted to V are you?"

V was the blood of a vampire which was the new drug of choice lately. I could honestly say that I had never tried it and I would never try it in my life. The side effects it gave scared me and I had read so many accounts of people dying who had taken in too much.

"No, what kind of girl do you take me for?" I replied. I had never done any drugs stronger than weed, and Lafayette knew that. "Actually, I'm not entirely human. I'm quarter mermaid, or siren, whatever you prefer to call it. I guess the vampire, Eric his name was, noticed there was something about me that was off..."

Lafayette leaned back in the couch, a confused expression on his face. "Wait, so you are like the little mermaid? Ariel?"

I chuckled. "No, I don't have a tail or anything. In fact, I don't really get any benefits of being a mermaid except for being vampire bait."

"I need a drink," Lafayette said. He raised from the couch and poured himself one. "So how do you know you're a mermaid?"

"My mother was half one, so I must be a quarter mermaid. That's why I got offered a swimming scholarship for Loyola University."

"Which you didn't accept, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting on the couch here with me."

I nodded. "I couldn't have all the attention. If someone started to ask me questions about my insane swimming abilities, the truth was going to come out sooner or later. Besides, it also felt kind of like cheating. I had an advantage over the other swimmers, it didn't seem fair."

"You are too honest for this world, you know that?" Lafayette spoke, and I knew he was kind of right.

I had worked at the general store of Bon Temps for 5 years now. Sometimes I wondered what I was still doing there, considering as I was still serving as a store clerk, never having gotten a promotion over the years I had worked there. But hey, a job is a job right?

Today my boss had given me the evening shift, which meant I had to work until 10, right around when it was starting to get dark outside. The fact that I had to go outside at night by myself had never bothered me before, but after meeting Eric I had to admit I was a little scared he might come for me, forcing me into telling him what I was, or worse.

Maybe I was just being paranoid. But over the years I had met a lot of vampires and none of them had the intensity Eric had had. It could be because of his age. There was something about him that had made him look older, wiser than the rest. I couldn't help but wonder how old he actually was, how many centuries he had lived through. I knew full blooded mermaid were immortal as well. Sadly I wasn't, as I had discovered my first wrinkle earlier this week. So much for the eternal youth of a mermaid.

One reasons I always liked the evening shifts were the lack of customers. People seemed to get their groceries during the day so their nights would be free to spend at Merlotte's or at home. On free nights I too spend a lot of time at that bar. It was where the whole town came together and everyone hang out, drinking beer and eating Lafayette's burgers.

It was a pretty uneventful shift. Nothing special had happened. No broken wine bottles (which happened at least once a week and was a hell to clean up), no screaming children (probably already in bed), and no complaining customers (must be the good weather). It reassured me that there was nothing bad out there, and I indeed had been paranoid. Besides, Eric had probably more important stuff to do than come after me.

I found my truck in the empty parking lot, hoping I'd make it home in it. The lights in the parking lot were flickering, going on and off every so often. My boss had promised me to fix it for about a week now, but it seemed like he couldn't get around to fixing it.

The night was hot and moist like always and even though my car didn't have an AC, it did provide some shelter against the moist air. I had to try twice to get the engine of the truck started, giving me slight goose bumps as I drove away. This car better not break down on me during the middle of the night.

But surely I managed to get home in a little under fifteen minutes, leaving me some time to watch some reality TV shows before I had to go to bed as I had the morning shift tomorrow. When I got inside I immediately slid my feet out of my Converse sneakers and continued on bare foot to the living room. I remembered I had some freshly made iced tea in the refrigerator and decided to drink it tonight so it wouldn't spoil overnight.

With a drink in my hand and a packet of chips in my other, I retreated to the living room, sitting down on the couch before turning on the television. It seemed that my favorite show Jersey Shore (don't judge) had already started. But before I was able to take a sip from my iced tea, the bell rung.

I sighed. If it was Madison or Luann I would kill them. They knew how much I liked my television shows and how much I did not like to be disturbed while watching them.

"I'm coming!" I shouted when the bell rang again.

I quickly shuffled to the front door, sliding off the lock which I had placed over the door with one hand and opening it with the other.

"Hello Rylie Montgomery."

I gasped. I had not expected to see him at my house, not in a million years. Yet here he was standing, Eric. The vampire from Fangtasia. The only vampire I somehow really feared, on my porch.

"How do you know my name?" I managed to get out.

"Pam told me," he replied, sliding his fingers through his blonde slicked back locks. "The vampire who checked your ID."

Pam sure had a good memory if she was able to remember my name from the hundreds of ID's she had checked during the night. Okay, so he knew my name. But how did he know my address?

"How do you know where I live?" I asked sternly, I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I knew that Eric wouldn't be able to come inside, unless I invited him. He also couldn't glamor me so as long as I would stay inside, nothing could happen to me.

"I looked it up... on the internet," he spoke.

Oh so vampires used the internet now? I shook my head. He had come all the way from Shreveport to Bon Temps, looking up where I lived, for what? I had so many questions for him but did I dare ask them all?

"Do you wanna let me in, by chance?" Eric asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"No thank you," I replied.

I had to admit Eric looked even better up close. His skin was silky smooth, pale as the night and his hair more luscious than I remembered. He was still dressed in simple black clothing.

He leaned forward, placing both hands on either side of the doorpost. I instinctively took a step back, although he couldn't enter anyway. His eyes were focused on mine and it almost felt like he was staring into my soul, but I knew he was trying to glamor me again.

"You know that doesn't work on me. You tried last night," I said.

"I know I did," Eric said. "But I wanted to try it again."

"Why are you here?" I said. I had managed to calm down my nerves knowing nothing could happen to me as long as I stayed inside. The fact that Eric knew where I lived, though, was a little daunting.

"You are different than most humans," he spoke. "Different than almost any human."

"Why, because you can't glamor me? I'm sure a lot of people can't be glamored," I rambled on. The more I focused on the glamoring, the less I could focus on me being a mermaid.

"I have never met anyone who could not be glamored, and I'm _very_ old."

So I was right. He was a very old vampire, probably older than any of the vampires I had ever met. Since the vamps came out of the coffin, they had a big population increase. It was almost if it was fashionable to become a vampire.

I remained quiet, not sure how I could reply. His eyes were still fixed on mine and I tried my hardest to look away but I couldn't. They were drawing me in, as if they were glamorizing me anyway.

"Your smell," Eric started again. He was frowning. "It's like the sea. Like the North Sea, in Europe."

I know where the North Sea was but I didn't dare to tell him that. He seemed to be so confused as to why I smelled like the sea, that it became clear to me he had probably never met a mermaid. In all of his years he had been on the earth, he had never come a across one of my people. It made me proud in a way. We had stayed clear from vampires. They did not know of our existence.

"I told you, it's my perfume," I tried to explain. "I can tell you what brand it is if you want."

"It's not your perfume," Eric said. "I can smell right through that. It's something different."

"I don't know what you are talking about," I mumbled, realizing Eric was getting closer to finding out the truth. I had to get out of this conversation, right now.

Before Eric was able to speak again, I spoke. "Look, I gotta get to work real early tomorrow, so I'd appreciate it if you would get off my porch and leave me alone."

I didn't dare to look at him after I spoke, so instead I spun on my heel and slammed the door behind me, hoping he'd never come back. But I knew he would be.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you so much for all your support. I'm really happy you are liking it so far because I'm liking it so far as well! I've also gotten some questions about if any other characters besides Pam and Eric will be part of my story and I can say: yes. They will be part of it. Actually, Jason is going to play a rather big part in the upcoming chapters. Just imagine this story as a True Blood season without Sookie!

Please let me know what your thoughts were and hopefully until next time! Take care!


	3. Dead of Night

I was lying if I wouldn't admit my mind had been wandering to Eric every 10 seconds during work. The fact that business was extremely slow today didn't help. I had already cleaned everything there was to clean, made a list of all the new stock that came in today. Checked all our fruit baskets for any rotten fruit and even managed to fix the broken telephone at one of the cash registers. Yet Eric managed to creep into my mind.

He had been the first vampire to really take note of my different scent. Other vampires often made a comment about it, but never looked into it like Eric was doing. Maybe he smelled my scent better because he was older than the rest?

After work I decided it would be best for my mind to stop by Merlotte's. I knew Madison and Luann were going to be there, and even though they would probably be gossiping about vampires, they wouldn't dare to bring up Eric. Also Lafayette would be working in the kitchens and I could always sneak in to keep him company. Anything to keep Eric off my mind.

The bar was already packed with customers when I entered. Luckily, I spotted Luann and Madison in one of the booths near the back. They had already started on their dinner, oblivious to the fact I would be joining them tonight. They were still happy when they saw me approaching and I was glad they had forgotten about me taking them home so early two nights ago.

"Come join us!" Luann exclaimed happily. She slid aside to make room for me.

I sat down and quickly let my eyes scan the menu before deciding on my usual order; a cheeseburger with extra cheese made by the one and only Lafayette, the best burger maker I had ever known.

Arlene came to our table to pick up my order and quickly disappeared again to the kitchens. Lafayette had spotted me and blew me a kiss, which I of course returned.

Madison began to talk about this guy she had met walking her dog yesterday, something I did not really care much about so instead I began looking at the people around me, trying to see if there was anyone among them I did not know. Madison usually had a new guy every week and it was hard to keep up. Luann was more of a traditionalist, still waiting for that perfect guy to come along. Lately that perfect guy seemed to be a vampire.

It took only a few minutes for Arlene to return with my burger, but I knew Lafayette made it extra fast because I had ordered it. I made a mental note to leave a big tip. It was as delicious as always and I savored every bite until it was all gone.

"So, Rylie, anything special happen at work?" Luann asked out of interest. She rested her head in her hands, her red hair dangling past her shoulders.

I shook my head. "Nope, just the same old same old."

"Still no promotion?" Madison asked.

I shook my head again. "Of course not."

"Girl, you should quit. For how long have I been telling you that?" she continued. Luann nodded her head in agreement.

"And where am I supposed to work then?" I laughed. I knew they treated me horribly at my current job, but I simply couldn't afford to be unemployed for a little while.

"Here!" Luann said. "I heard Sam talking about hiring a new waitress."

I turned my head to look at Sam, intrigued by the offer. I had been a waitress at another diner when I was younger before, it wasn't hard work at all. In fact, I rather enjoyed doing it. However, I knew Sam was a shapeshifter, and I doubted he knew I knew.

It was a couple of months ago when I found out. I had always had my doubts about whether Sam was 100% human or not, simply because as a fellow supernatural I could sense when other people were too. When I got into the parking lot I spotted a dog I had never seen before running towards Sam's trailer. I had slid behind a tree to see who the dog belonged to, but he had headed inside the trailer. I had almost turned around to go home but when I immediately heard the door of Sam's trailer open and a human reappearing inside of a dog, I knew he was a shifter. I couldn't work with him knowing I knew his big secret.

"Nah," I replied. "I'm gonna get that promotion sooner or later. Just gotta stick it out until then. Besides, they have me on contract for at least another year."

"Contracts are meant to be broken," Madison said, who changed jobs almost every few months as she got bored with everything quickly.

"Not when they can sue me for it," I chuckled.

Jason Stackhouse appeared in the doorway and me eyes were immediately drawn to him. We had been out a couple of times a few years ago and I had to admit I still had a weakness for him. Besides the fact that he was extremely hot and muscled, he had a kind heart. It must have been hard, losing both your parents and sister in a car accident. My parents lived far away from me, and I only got to see them once or twice a year, but it wasn't the same.

"Oh, Rylie? Did you see Jason? He looks fine tonight," Luann said. She too had spotted Jason entering. He had taken a seat on a table with Hoyt Fortenberry and our eyes locked. He smiled at me happily so I returned it.

"He does," I replied dryly. I had no intention in dating Jason again, but that didn't mean I couldn't check him out, right?

I had to admit I was having fun tonight. Jason and Hoyt had joined us at our table to talk and they all gave us a round of beer, which was much appreciated. I also went to see Lafayette who was busy finishing up in the kitchens and about to head home. Eric hardly slipped into my mind tonight and I was glad I was able to keep him out for so much. Maybe if he would leave me alone I could forget about him for good.

It was around midnight when the bar seemed to empty up and I too decided it was time for me to head home. I said goodbye to all my friends, giving Jason a peck on the cheek, before heading to the parking lot.

I got into my truck and fired up the engine. It made some noises which it normally didn't make, but I decided to ignore it and start to drive home as fast as possible. It was dark outside so that meant vampires would be awake and possibly hunting for some dinner (or breakfast).

The strange noise my engine was making seemed to lessen when I was almost home. There were only a couple of streets for me to get through, unfortunately, they were the scariest to get through. I had my eyes focussed on the road and not on the edge of the forest on either side of the road. I didn't want to be confronted with whatever creature was lurking in the dark.

Suddenly the noise came back again and within seconds the engine had died down. The headlights went off and I realized the car had come to a halt. The street lights provided hardly any light and I started to panic a bit.

Shit. I was alone. My car standing in the middle of the road. In the dark. What was I supposed to do know? I knew nothing of cars and even if I did, I didn't have any tools with me to fix it.

I wanted to kick myself for not getting the damn truck fixed earlier, but there was nothing more I could do about it now. I fished my phone from my pocket and started dialing Jason's number. I knew he would be here within matter of minutes and he knew how to fix cars.

When I was about to press the DIAL key, I felt a gush of wind going past me. I turned around, my heart beating in my chest.

"Hello?" I called out, fairly sure I felt someone going past me, but it was so dark and I was so preoccupied with calling Jason I hadn't noticed who or what it was.

There was no response.

"Hello? Anyone there?" I tried again.

"That doesn't look good."

There seemed to be someone standing in front of my car, but the hood which had been pulled up concealed whoever was standing behind it. How did I not hear this happening behind me?

I didn't put my phone back into my pocket but kept it in my hand as I approached where the voice was coming from. I was very thankful for the silver jewelry I was wearing when I noticed that the one helping me out was most definite a vampire.

"I know, but I have already called someone so no need to worry," I said trying to sound as casual as possible. I realized I was the perfect bait and with hardly any cars driving on this road, it was the perfect place to attack me.

"Oh, but this can easily be fixed!" the vampire exclaimed confidently. "If I just pop this back in this and you fire up the engine, it should work!"

I was hoping the vampire was just being helpful, but there was no way to know for sure. I still climbed behind the wheel of the truck and fired up the engine which started again with no problem.

"Thanks," I said, but I remained seated. Now my engine was working again, I could make a clear escape.

"You're welcome." The vampire appeared next to my rolled down window. "There are ways I can think of you repaying me."

"No," I said definite. "I will not allow you to bite me."

But the vampire didn't listen and tried to glamor me. I should've seen this coming.

"Allow me to drink your blood, as a way of saying thank you," he tried.

Before I was even able to open my mouth, the vampire seemed to be smashed to the side by another vampire. I gasped, not sure what was going on as it all happened so fast my eyes could scarcely keep up.

"Your car is not faster than him, if that was what you were thinking," Eric said, standing suddenly besides me.

He made me jump as he appeared so suddenly. I looked in my rearview mirror to see where the other vampire was, but it seemed he had disappeared.

"What are you doing here," I hissed. I wanted to roll up the window but that would be rude, besides, I had no doubt he could pull out the window without even trying.

"Saving you, obviously."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. Eric had followed me into the night for god knows what reason. Was he spying on me? Was he following me to see in what kind of creature I would transform? Why would he care if the vampire had bitten me? Why would he want to save me?

"I had it under control, thank you very much," I said annoyed.

"Didn't look like it," Eric snapped back.

"So besides saving me," I said, realizing I would never win this fight. "what are you really doing here?"

"I need to find out why you are different than the rest of them, and I can't do that if you die."

"I wasn't dying." I rolled my eyes. He acted like it was a lot worse than it really was. Dying was far from anything that I was planning on doing tonight, or ever. I had a life that I very much intended on living.

"How old are you?" I suddenly found myself asking.

"You ask a lot of questions for a human," Eric replied, chuckling softly.

"Well, I'm different than the rest, right?" I replied, using his own words which seemed to amuse him judging by his laugh.

"I'm more than a 1,000 years old. That answer your question?"

I nodded. Wow, a 1,000 years. Even I knew that was incredibly old for a vampire.

"You saved me from dying. I'm gonna go now." I said the first part in a melodramatic voice. I appreciated the gesture, but I hated the fact he only saved me because he wanted to know what I was. If I was just a regular human beings like the rest of Bon Temps' inhabitants, he would've let me die right there and then.

"I can come home with you. We can talk about your life over tea?" he suggested, the tone of amusement still ever present in his voice.

"How about you go to Fangtasia and run a business or do whatever it is you are doing on that throne of yours."

My own sassiness surprised me. An hour ago I would be terrified of Eric Northman. But it seemed as if my fear had changed into curiosity. It was only fair, right? He wanted to know everything about me, then I wanted to know everything about him. I knew a lot about vampires but I surely didn't know everything.

"I'm sure I will see you soon, Rylie Montgomery." And then he seemed to fly away into the sky.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback! Another chapter where you see some more interaction with the regular Bon Temps residents. Hopefully you liked it and please leave a review with your thoughts! Take care!


	4. House of Dracula

I had not told my friends about my little run in with Eric Northman, not even Lafayette. It had been a few days since it had happened, and I hadn't seen him since. Part of me was a little disappointed. Was he giving up that easily? Another part of me was extremely relieved. Maybe he had given up that easily.

Every thursday evening me and the girls all got together at my house for our weekly girls night. We would drink home made cocktails, watch cheesy movies, braid our hair, paint each other nails, you name it. We never skipped a week since we started doing it.

But this week both Luann and Madison were late. I did not mean 5 minutes late, because I was used to the girls always running 15 minutes late, at least. An hour had already passed since they had to be at my house and I was so bored I had already eaten all of the snacks I had prepared earlier today.

I fetched my iPhone from the table and started to dial Madison's number. She didn't pick up, but I figured her phone was buried in her bag and she simply hadn't heard it.

Up next was Luann. My heart seemed to skip a beat when she did pick up. Thank god nothing had happened to them. I was almost starting to get worried for a second.

"Hey Lu," I began to speak. "Where are you guys? You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

"Rylie, I sent you a text earlier today. I'm sick, didn't you get it?"

I frowned. I could not recall seeing a text, but maybe I looked past it? It often happened I didn't receive text message because the telephone service in Bon Temps was pretty shitty. But if Luann was at home, where was Madison?

"Do you know if Madison is still coming? She isn't picking up her phone."

"I haven't heard from her either, but I figured she was with you," Luann spoke.

My heart rate started to increase again. It wasn't like Madison to not let anyone know where she was.

"Well, she's not. Any idea where she could be? I'm gonna check up on her."

Maybe she had just fallen asleep, or she was watching reruns of Sex and the City and forgot the time, it had happened before. But of course I couldn't help but worry. Madison had the tendency to do reckless things sometimes.

"If she's not at home then ... oh my god, I think I know where she is," Luann suddenly seemed to realize. "Fangtasia!"

"Fang-fucking-tasia?!" I exclaimed. "Why would she go there alone?"

I immediately started to act. I put the phone down, threw it into a bag, grabbed my keys and ran outside. It had been dark for a couple of hours already. I knew Fangtasia had a policy of no biting in the building, but I wondered if someone actually ever stuck to that policy. Madison had been talking about meeting vampires for so long now, maybe tonight she had been lucky - or unlucky.

My truck seemed to run smoothly since the vampire had fixed it for me and I tried to let it go as fast as it could. I had to get to Fangtasia before it was too late. The fact that Eric was also going to be there wasn't a problem for me right now. The priority was getting Madison out of there.

There was a line as long as the whole building outside but I hoped Pam - or whatever she was called - would remember me and let me in. I'd even be prepared to name drop Eric if it would get me access to the club. I had no time to stand in line for at least another hour judging by the length.

"You look like you're in a hurry," Pam said when I approached her. Thank god she'd remember me.

"I am actually," I said. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, hoping she would take me seriously. I was still wearing my comfortable girls night clothing: an ugly sparkly sweater I have had since I went to high school and which was way too hot in this weather, and dirty jeans which had holes in it. I couldn't even remember if I had brushed my hair today. All in all it was safe to say that judging by my outfit, I didn't come here to have a good time.

"Come in. Eric will be happy to see you," Pam said while a smirk covered her face.

"Tell him I'm not here for him."

Pam stepped aside to let me pass, much to the despair of the fangbangers who had probably been waiting for ages to be let in. The room was foggy and sweaty. I immediately regretted my sweater but I didn't dare to take it off, finding my top with spaghetti straps a little revealing in a room full of vampires.

I covered the entire dance floor twice, but she wasn't there. My only option was hoping she was at the bar, but when I looked around I noticed she also wasn't there.

My heart sank into my chest. I could only hope she wasn't here at all and was safely in bed at home, watching that Sex and the City marathon.

I turned to the bartender who had also been there last time I had come here. I leaned across the bar, letting him know I wanted to talk to him about something.

"A Bloody Mary for you?" he suggested, already putting a cocktail glass in front of me.

I quickly shook my head. "No, thank you! I'm actually wondering if it would be alright to ask you something."

"Depends," the bartender replied. He put the glass away again, and it just dawned on me he had remembered my drink. Did he remember everyone's drinks or was I 'not like other humans' to him as well?

"Did this girl drop by tonight by any chance?" I got my phone from my back pocket and showed him my background, which was a photo of me, Luann and Madison. It had been taken last summer when we were on a shopping trip in New Orleans. I pointed to Madison.

The bartender shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen there. Keep looking, though. People often don't order anything as they are here to drink something else."

"Got it," I replied. By something else he definitely meant blood.

I continued making my way round the place. My eyes occasionally glanced to Eric's throne, but he wasn't there. I couldn't help but wonder where he was and what he was doing, but I quickly reminded myself I was here for Madison, not for him.

The only place I hadn't checked was the bathroom. I was a little scared to go in there, having heard rumors about the stuff that went on there. I pushed the door open but there seemed to be no one inside. Not wanting to give up so easily, I checked every stall, but most of them were empty as well. Except for the last one.

My heart pounded as I heard soft wimps coming from it, followed by a sucking noise. The stall wasn't locked so with the tips of my fingers I pushed it open, dreading what I was going to find inside.

"Get the fuck out," the vampire inside hissed. He had turned around so quickly I stumbled aback. His fangs were extended and his entire mouth and chin were covered in blood.

I managed to pull my gaze away from his blood crazed face and look behind him, where I found my friend.

"Oh my god," I gasped. I had found her. She was standing in the bathroom stall, balancing herself against the wall because it looked like she was going to pass out any minute. Had she given him her consent to do this? By her soft cries coming I had to guess not.

She hadn't seen me until I had spoken her name, probably to scared to look. "Madison," I said carefully. "Come with me, now."

Her eyes lit up when she saw me. She wanted to come towards me but the vampire pushed her back when she moved. He did it roughly, and she stumbled and fell on the toilet seat. Her crying increased.

"Come on, man. Let her go," I tried again. Adrenaline was rushing through my veins. Fangtasia's drinking policy had clearly been ignored here and I wondered if Eric knew.

"No. She's mine."

I knew what those words meant but they meant little to me. I tried to reach out to her, but instead, he slammed me against the wall behind me, the mirror cracking. I didn't feel any pain as my attention was focussed on Madison only. How the fuck was I going to defeat a vampire much stronger than I was?

"She's not yours!" I said angrily. My blood was boiling. Why was nobody helping her out? How could no one in this packed bar hear what was going on? Didn't vampire have super senses?

The vampire hissed again and then turned to face Madison. He let his teeth sink into her neck again. She screamed from pain or fear, maybe both.

I couldn't take it anymore. If he continued like this he would kill her. He would kill her right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't let that happen.

"STOP!" I screamed as loud as I could, as angry as I could.

Something unexpected happen. Each and every tap of water in the bathroom exploded and water came pouring out of it. Did I do that? I was confused, and so was the vampire, who left Madison only for a second to look at the damage.

"How did you do that?" he said, cocking his head to the right.

"I didn't - ..." I mumbled. "I didn't do that, it just happened."

I had no idea what was going on right now. I looked behind Madison and saw that even the toilets were overflowing with water. The entire floor was covered with the water coming out of the exploded taps. I knew mermaids had the power to control waters, but I didn't. I was only a quarter mermaid, not a full blooded one.

"You did this," the vampire spoke. His attention now turned to me, leaving Madison behind him. She held her hand in her neck, trying to stop the blood pouring out of the artery he had been feeding himself on.

Within matters of milli seconds he stood before me, but a hand was already at his throat. I looked and it was Eric. Pam was standing behind him in the doorway before she turned to the club again, announcing they would be closing for the night.

"Leave," Eric ordered. He too had his fangs extended. I had never seen his fangs before and with that added to his towering height, he looked very intimidating. "Leave right now before I will kill you."

The vampire nodded. Eric dropped him to the ground and before my eyes could focus again he was already gone. I hurried to Madison, who had fallen to the ground. "Oh my god," I said, not sure how to react. I wanted to shout out her about how she could be so stupid. How could she go here on her own, but what was the point? She was scared to death and I was sure this event would put her off vampires for at least another few months.

"Call 911," I told Eric, turning my head to speak to him as I pressed my hands on her neck. "She's gonna bleed out if she doesn't get any help."

For a moment Eric remained motionless, his fangs still extended. But then he spoke. "I can fix her right here and now, but I have to glamor her afterwards."

I nodded quickly, anything to get her safe. It might be for the best if she would never remember this night.

Pam appeared in the bathroom again. "Everyone's gone."

"Good," Eric replied. He stepped forward, pushing me aside surprisingly gentle before he picked up Madison like she was just a little doll. I followed him like a helpless puppy, wondering what he was going to do to fix her, hoping she wasn't too far gone already.

Pam remained standing in the bathroom, muttering about what a goddamn mess everything was and about how she probably had to clean it all up.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

Eric had put her on his desk. I came to stand beside Madison and took her hand.

"Rylie?" she spoke with difficulty.

"Shh," I replied. "Everything is going to be alright."

Madison nodded somewhat and let her head rest back against the desk, breathing in and out softly, one hand still resting on her neck.

"I'm going to give her my blood," Eric said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Wait, what?" I said when his words finally got to me. "Your blood? I don't understand?"

"Vampire blood can heal humans. It'll heal anything from broken bones to wounds like this."

He spoke so calmly that I began to calm down as well. For some reason I believed him when he said he blood could heal her. Eric was her only hope right now.

"I didn't know that," I said, still holding Madison's hand. With each day that passed, the more I started to learn about the vampire race, and I already thought I knew a lot.

"We keep it a secret for the obvious reasons," Eric replied, before letting his fangs sink into his own wrist. Blood started to trickle down his arm but he quickly put it to Madison's mouth. "Drink."

She did as she was told and I almost recoiled at the sight of Madison drinking his blood. Yet I couldn't help but wonder what it tasted like. With both hands she grabbed his wrist to steady it as she drank his blood.

To my surprise, her wound started to heal almost immediately and when it had disappeared entirely, Eric pulled his wrist back to himself. I noticed his little bite marks too disappeared as snow before the sun.

"I have to glamor her now," he told me.

I nodded and took a step back to let him do his work, watching him closely as his eyes focused on Madison's, who had been sitting up.

"You are not going to remember anything of tonight," Eric spoke. "You were at home with Rylie, watching a movie. You were watching... Jurassic Park."

"I was watching Jurassic Park with Rylie," Madison repeated. She was in complete trance as Eric spoke.

"Good," Eric said with a little smile. "Now go to sleep."

"Okay," Madison said, before she let herself fall back again and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this made me so happy and relieved glamoring didn't work on me. It was satisfying to know there was no creature on earth who could have any influence over me.

I almost didn't want to say it, but after a few seconds of consideration I managed to get it out. "Thank you," I spoke. I may not particularly like the man, but he did save my best friend. That was worth a thank you no matter who the man was.

"Looks like I'm saving you again," Eric said amused.

"I wouldn't be needing saving if you'd pay attention to your customers and actually stick to your policies."

To my annoyance Eric put his hand on the small of my back as he pushed me out of his office. I could feel the coldness if his fingers through my sweater, sending chills down my spine.

It only now struck me how much he towered over me. I was not a small girl, I liked to think I was pretty average, yet Eric seemed like a giant standing in front of me.

"The exploded taps," Eric began, his amusing tone making way for a serious one. "That was you?"

I shook my head. "That was not me."

I did not know how I had done it. I had definitely not done anything like that before. It seemed as if all my anger had been exploded outwards, making all the water sources explode around me. The fact that I possessed powers like that scared me. I seemed unable to control them. I didn't even know if I could do it again.

"It wasn't the vampire, and it wasn't your friend. That leaves only you."

"I told you, it wasn't me."

For how long could I keep my condition a secret? Eric had been onto me from the moment I had met him. Causing basically the whole bathroom to explode would only add more proof to his suspicions.

Eric frowned. "There is something about you Rylie Montgomery that is not human. I have lived on this planet long enough to see that."

"When will Madison wake up?" I said, trying to change the subject, although I had a feeling I wouldn't be leaving that bar tonight until I told him what exactly I was.

He narrowed his eyes as he took in the entirety of her body. I almost felt him imagining a mermaid tail on me and I was wondering if he was close to the truth. If only I could read his mind right now.

"The water thing," Eric said, referring to the bathroom. "That's the first time something like that has happened, yes?"

There was no point in denying the truth. I realized Eric would find out the truth no matter what. Even if it took him my entire lifetime to find out what I was, he would find out.

I nodded slowly. "I didn't even know I could do that."

"What else can you do?"

"Nothing," I said, honestly.

"So that means you are not a full blood. But what exactly are you?"

For once he was the one to be asking the questions. I almost felt like I owed to reply to him, after what he had done for me. Madison was just another random replaceable human, yet he had saved her for me. Maybe there still was a little bit of humanity left in his 1,000 year old soul.

Before I knew it I had blurted the words I had vowed never to speak. But for some strange reason I trusted him. He wouldn't share this information with the world, he was not the kind of vampire who would do that. Besides, I figured if he wanted to taste my blood he would've done so by now. There was nothing I could do to stop him from having a little taste.

"I'm a siren. But I'm three fourths of a human."

Eric's eyes widened as if I had confirmed what he already had expected.

"So that's why you smell like the North Sea," he spoke softly. "Never ever did I dare to dream I'd come across another mermaid."

"Another?" I spoke softly, taking in his words. There were others?

* * *

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you so much for the amazing responses so far, it truly motivates me to continue writing. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and it gives you some in sight to Rylie's powers. Please let me know what you think.


	5. A Game of Death

I had taken Madison home with me. Eric had glamoured her to believe she had spent the night at my place, so I had to go along with that plan. She was still very sleepy when I got her out of the car. With her arm wrapped around my neck, I managed to drag her inside, letting her fall on my couch. I initially wanted to put her in my bed, but there was no way I could get her up the stairs in this state. I figured I would just tell her she had fallen asleep here and I didn't want to wake her up.

The time on my watch read that it was 6 a.m.. The sun was starting to come up. We were safe. No vampires could come after us during the day. I turned my head to face Madison, who had curled up into a fetal position on the couch, snoring lightly. My eyes fell on her neck, on the place where there had been a huge bite wound just a few hours ago.

Eric had healed her for me. He had helped me out once again (okay the first time I didn't really need any help, but still). Would this mean I was in his debt?

I had also confessed to him what I was, a mermaid. He had acted so surprised, before telling me he had known other mermaids, a very, very long time ago.

"I thought your species had gone extinct," he had told me. "The last mermaid I had known died about 800 years ago."

"How did she die?" I had asked out of curiosity.

"A vampire killed her."

In that moment I counted myself lucky I was not a full blooded mermaid. My scent was already pretty strong for some vampires, I could only imagine how heavy the scent would have been if I had been pure blood.

I looked at my watch again. After everything that had happened I didn't feel like going to bed. There was still some adrenaline rushing through my veins and I didn't even feel that tired. I promised myself I would go to bed early tonight. Hopefully I could have a vampire free night for once.

I got my phone out of my bag and started texting Luann. I hadn't spoken to her since last night and it was only fair to tell her everything was fine.

_Madison was home after all! We had a fun night but still missed you! Hope you feel better!_

It would be better for everyone if I just denied that last night had ever happened. I still had to find a way to keep them out of Fangtasia for a little while, but I told myself to worry about that later. If only Eric could glamour me so I too could forget the whole ordeal. I don't think I would soon forget that night.

The fact that Eric finally knew what I was felt relieving in some way. I didn't have to lie to him anymore and he didn't have to force the truth out of me. Was I supposed to feel scared, though? The last mermaid he had known was killed by a vampire. Was this the time for me to buy a gun with wooden bullets to protect myself if necessary?

I had spent the rest of the morning browsing the internet, researching vampire abilities. Madison was still sleeping like a baby, but I wanted to be here for her when she woke up. I didn't know if the vampire blood she had taken would have any other effects on her.

But the internet seemed empty to any other information than I already knew. The vampire Wikipedia page told me about their powers, which according to them were: extreme speed and power, well developed senses, glamouring, immortality. None of the articles mentioned the fact that I had seen Eric fly, that his blood had healed Madison within a matter of seconds. In the age of technology, vampires had managed to keep their strongest powers a secret.

I looked up from my laptop when I heard Madison yawning. It was past noon and she had slept a solid 8 hours.

"Good morning," she said, a soft smile covering her face.

"Morning," I replied. I placed my laptop on the salon table and sat on the couch next to her, keeping a close eye on her. She didn't seem any different than normal, so far. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great!" Madison said. "Why?"

"Oh," I quickly tried to think of something. "You had a lot to drink last night. I figured you might have a hangover."

"Nope, I'm feeling as fresh as a daisy!"

I nodded in content. Everything had worked out. I had saved my best friend and the best part was that she couldn't remember anything about it. Madison could go on with her life without knowing this had ever happened. Sadly I did remember and I was unlikely to forget.

"That movie we watched last night was great," she continued. "Did you like it as well?"

"Oh, yeah. I did." I rose from my couch. "You want me to make you some breakfast? I can make pancakes?"

Madison squealed in delight and I can honestly say I had never seen her so upbeat and happy. Hopefully some of her cheer would be able to rub off on my during the day.

I brought her home a little after three o'clock. She had remained so gleeful for the entire day and I was fairly sure it was Eric's blood that had given her such a high.

After returning home I fell down on my couch. My eye lids were heavy and it was only now that I realized how tired I was. Maybe skipping a night's sleep hadn't been the smartest idea. If only vampires weren't condemned to the night.

I had dozed off quickly. My dreams soon turned into nightmares. I saw the vampires' face in front of me. I couldn't seem to get rid of it. Everywhere were I looked, he stood before me. I started to run, but my feet seemed to be stuck to the ground. "You will be a delicious treat," the vampire spoke. Blood came pouring out of his mouth, making him look even more terrifying than he already looked. He moved closer to me. I couldn't move. My entire body was numb and when his fangs sank into my neck, I woke up screaming.

Sweat was trickling down my face and I was running short of breath. When I looked outside of my window I noticed it was already late at night. What was supposed to be a short nap had turned into a 6 hour nightmare.

I couldn't remember the last time I had had such vidid nightmares. It seemed as if last night's event had triggered something in me. I was so glad for the fact that Madison would be sleeping peacefully, as she would never remember the entire ordeal. I would, and I knew it would take me a little while to process it all.

The doorbell rang. I jumped from the sound, as I was still a little trapped in my nightmare. I shook my head, trying to wake up a little more before wrapping my blanket around me. I stumbled to the front door, opening it without looking who was standing behind it.

"Eric," I gasped when I saw him standing on my porch. I wondered how I must look to him, wrapped in a blanket, hair a mess, probably looking like I had seen a few ghosts.

"Rylie," he returned. Eric cocked his eyebrow. "Am I coming at a wrong time?"

"Depends," I replied, remembering who was standing before me. Even though he had helped me out yesterday, and knew what I was, he was still a vampire. I didn't want my life to end up like my nightmare. I had to be more careful from now on. No more surprise visits to Fangtasia.

"I have an offer for you," Eric began.

I raised my eyebrows. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

"When other vampires find out what you are, you are going to need protection. I can give you that protection."

My eyebrows turned into a frown. Was this the possession-thing I read about online? Apparently, when a vampire tells another vampire a particular human 'was his,' the other vampire could not touch the human no matter what. But I did not wanted to be his. It sounded wrong, as if I was just a thing that could be owned.

"Why?" I asked. "As long as no one finds out what I am, I'm safe. I have always lived without protection."

"It will only be a matter of time," Eric explained. "They'll kill you in an instant trying to drink your blood. I have never tasted a mermaid, but I can imagine it can be quite something different."

Did he just lick his lips? His eyes were roaming my body again, making me a little uncomfortable. Although I had to admit that he looked handsome tonight, and Eric could be very persuasive. No. I could not give into his demands. Obviously this was just a trick so I would invite him in and he could drink my blood, killing me as he described a few seconds ago.

"No," I told him definite. "I'm planning to stay clear of any vampires anyway, so there is no need to worry." I knew I was still in his debt for last night, but I wasn't willing to pay his debt with my blood.

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but I spoke quickly before him, trying to counter any argument he might continue to give me.

"Why do you care anyway? I'm only a quarter mermaid."

Why was I different than the rest? There was hardly any mermaid in me, and not counting what had happened in the bathroom last night, I did not have any powers. It seemed like such a waste of time for Eric to spend his time around me, trying to protect me. And protect me against what?

"When you have lived on this planet for so long, you start to care about the things that aren't as common anymore. Including you." He took a step forward, resting his right hand on the doorpost, leaning in slightly. Eric was staring straight into my soul. His blue eyes had captivated me and I couldn't look away. "You might be one of the last living mermaids on this earth, Rylie. Your species deserves to be protected."

I knew there was more behind this. Why would Eric want to protect a species who vampires have been killing since the species has existed? Maybe Eric had killed mermaids himself. How could I be sure about his intentions?

"The biggest enemy of a mermaid are vampires, and yet a vampire is standing on my porch offering to protect me? It sounds like a trap."

Eric's voice deepened and he sounded more serious than I had ever heard it. "This is not a trap, Rylie. I care because I spent my human days watching mermaids by the coast of the North Sea. I, in fact, was almost drowned by one. You remind me of that there is still something of my humanity left, that is why I need to save you, and your species."

He suddenly stopped speaking and his eyes widened. It was as if he had told me more than he wanted to and I had to admit I was a little shocked as well. Did the cold hearted Eric Northman just tell me I reminded him of his youth? That he hadn't lost all of his humanity?

"Let me know if you want take me up on the offer," he said, his voice dark, before he shot away in the night sky.

Did I, a simple soul, just make the great Eric Northman uncomfortable? I couldn't believe what I had just heard and seen. I slapped my cheeks a couple of times, but I was definitely awake. This was not another cruel nightmare, this was reality.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait! I've been working a lot and a few days ago I cut my finger pretty badly at work so it's a little hard to type with a bandaged finger. Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next time!


	6. A Matter of Life and Death

Thanks to Eric I had spent another night laying awake. After hearing his offer, my body refused to go to sleep. I constantly kept going over his offer, repeating his words inside my head.

"I can give you that protection." His words kept going through my mind and I was lying if those words hadn't made me think about his offer. Maybe it was a smart idea to get his protection. I did not intend on dying any time soon, and better safe than sorry, right?

The fact that Eric had shared some personal information also intrigued me. He had been so passionate about protecting me (or my species, I wasn't sure which one he wanted to protect), that he had blurted out some stuff I doubted he had told other people.

Another factor I couldn't deny was that Eric was incredibly handsome. His blonde hair which was always slicked back to perfection, his blue eyes that I could get lost in, the way he carried himself, the way he oozed power. I could go on and on. Was I attracted to him? Yes. Definitely. Being protected by someone like him would maybe not be such a bad thing.

The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that he would be able to call me "his," and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. It maybe sounded a little childish, but I most definitely wasn't his. But if that was the only way he was able to protect me...

No. I shook my head. I would go up to Fangtasia, even though I really didn't want to, and confront him about it. How exactly would he protect me? Did he expect anything in return? I needed solid answers before I could take his offer into consideration.

I got out of bed at dawn, knowing all the vampires would be back into their coffins or wherever they slept. In the hope of waking up a little, I had poured myself a cup of coffee which I enjoyed on the porch, watching the sun rise.

When I was brewing the coffee, I found myself trying to move the water in the pot. I must have looked like a real idiot, thinking back about how I was standing there. There was no hand movement involved like you would see on that animated television show I believed was called Avatar, instead, I just focused my gaze on the water, as if I was trying to glamour it into moving. I don't know what I expected. The water didn't move. It didn't even shake. Nothing happened. My mermaid power had left my body as fast as it had come out.

Working was the last thing I wanted to do right now. However, bills still needed to be paid and I feared I might lose my job if I called in sick only an hour before I had to be there.

"Hey, Rylie?" a voice spoke.

I had been rearranging all the bananas in a neat pile in the produce section, a sign that business was slow and I was clearly bored. But hey, at least the bananas looked good?

I turned around to find Jason Stackhouse standing before me. I smiled when I saw him standing there, for some reason a little awkwardly. He was wearing his work outfit and he was already covered in a light layer of sweat. I was very thankful that the store I worked in had air conditioning.

"Hey, Jason!" I replied cheerfully. "Need any help?"

He shook his head. "No, uh. I actually wanted to ask you a question, if that's alright."

"Of course!" I spoke, slightly amused by the fact he was standing there so awkwardly. Normally Jason would be confident, maybe a little overly-confident. Whatever he was going to ask me was going to be good.

"I just wanted to ask, if you, uh, would perhaps want to go out for dinner with me... Tonight?"

I chuckled at his question. We had gone out a couple of times a few years ago, and if Jason was asking me out again that meant his usual pool of women was running dry. Not that I really minded. Jason always held a spot in my heart and I knew he was going to treat me well no matter what.

"Sure," I spoke. "Dinner could work!"

I could have a fun evening and visit Fangtasia after dinner. Perfect.

"Pick you up at 7?" Jason spoke. A smile had covered his face and he seemed to had lost all the awkwardness when I told him yes.

I nodded. "Don't be late," I warned.

"I won't!" Jason replied.

The last date I had had was so long ago, I couldn't even remember where I had stored my favorite dinner-worthy dress. It wasn't anything really fancy, but it made my figure look so good and I felt really beautiful in it.

I finally managed to find it in the depths of my closet. When I pulled it out it surprised me how pretty it still was. The satin (or a cheap alternative to satin, I couldn't remember) hadn't aged at all. It was decorated with big black and white horizontal stripes. I held it in front of me, remembering how well the boatneck made my boobs look and how the empire waist gave me a hour glass figure. It would be stupid not to wear this dress. Jason wouldn't made able to keep his eyes off me.

For the occasion I decided to curl my hair, something which I rarely did. After a few tries with my curling iron I got the hang of it again and within a matter of minutes I had curled my entire blonde hair. I didn't leave it at that as I put my hair out of my face by creating a half-up-half-down do. To secure my hair, I found an old ruby encrusted hair clip which would look nice with my dress.

I kept my make-up to a minimum and sprinkled a little bit of perfume on myself. Before I was going downstairs, I turned to the mirror. I had to admit, I looked good. Not too fancy, but more fancy than normal. It didn't looked like I had tried too hard to look hot for Jason. My look was exactly right.

Jason was right on time. When I heard the doorbell ring, I quickly fetched my bag from the table, hoping my cellphone was in there because I couldn't remember if I did or did not put it in, and opened the door.

"Wow," Jason said, his mouth hanging slightly open. "You look real beautiful, Rylie."

"Thanks," I smiled. My hard work had paid off.

He offered me his arm as he escorted me to his car. He had the same pick-up truck as I had, except that his was a newer model and it seemed to run more smoothly than mine.

"So where are we going?" I asked out of curiosity while getting in the car. Jason sat next to me in the driver's seat. Soon we were heading off. I felt a few butterflies in my stomach, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the date, or the fact that I was heading over to Fangtasia after. In this dress.

"Merlotte's," Jason said a little embarrassed, but I had already figured we would be going there. Bon Temps offered few restaurants and among the ones we had, Merlotte's was still the best.

"Hopefully we can a table near the window," I said.

We arrived within minutes since I lived so close to Merlotte's. I was glad to see that most of the parking lot was empty. Now I could actually talk to Jason without having to yell to make myself hearable over the noise of the other customers.

I followed Jason inside. He had opened the door for me (always the gentleman), and arranged that window seat I wanted so much with Arlene. He waited until I got seated before he got seated himself. We both didn't need to look at the menu since we came here so often we almost knew it by heart.

As usual, I ordered my cheeseburger and Jason ordered a steak and extra fries. While waiting for our order to arrive, we both drank beers and laughed with each other. That was the great thing about Jason, I never felt awkward around him. He had something about him that made you feel right at home with him.

After our dinner had arrived, the topic suddenly turned to vampires, out of all things.

"What do you think blood tastes like?" Jason wondered, staring off into the distance as if he was trying to imagine the taste, before dipping his fry in ketchup and putting it in his mouth.

"I don't know," I chuckled softly. "Maybe Sam has some Tru Blood left in stock and you can try."

Jason's eyes lit up but after some consideration he replied with a no. "Maybe some other time."

After dinner and desert, Jason had brought me home. When I got out of the car, he got out also, accompanying my to the front door. I liked that he did that, as if he wanted to waste no chance for something to happen to me during the 20 feet I had to walk. Or, of course, he wanted to come in for "another drink."

"Thanks for dinner, Jason," I said with a soft smile. He had paid for it and everything, making me feel like a real lady.

"No problem," he smiled.

Jason placed his hands on my hips, his fingers hot to the touch. He carefully pulled me closer. My heart pounded in my chest although I already had expected this to happen. I can't deny I didn't wanted it to, so I leaned forward and let my lips meet his. Up close he smelled like cologne and a hint of the root beer they had been drinking.

When I felt his tongue against my teeth, asking permission to enter, I pulled back. I knew where this was heading, but it was not happening tonight.

"Are you gonna invite me in?" Jason whispered.

I shook my head. "Not tonight. I got this rule which says no sex on a first date."

"But this is not our first date," Jason fired back with a mischievous smile, his hands still resting on my hips.

Fair point. This had to be our fifth date, maybe even more, I had lost count. Jason and I had been on and off for a long time now, never going into anything steady. Quickly I tried to think of another excuse. If I hadn't made any plans to go to Fangtasia, I might have considered it, since the sex I remembered with Jason was spectacular.

"But it's our first date ... this year," I said. "You gotta wine and dine a girl, Jason Stackhouse."

I took a step back, placing one soft kiss on his mouth. He looked a bit disappointed and I felt a little bit sorry, but I had made different plans.

"I'll talk to you soon, okay?" I said, putting the key in the lock to open the door.

Jason nodded. "Yeah," he said.

I closed the door behind me but I didn't bother to sit down. Instead, I waited until Jason got off my porch and had driven away before I quickly went out of the door again, hurrying to my truck. Hopefully I wouldn't take me 5 tries to get it started as I was eager to get some answers.

When I noticed the parking lot in front of Fangtasia was near empty, I checked my watch only to find that it was so early it hadn't been opened yet. The sun had set and it was already dark outside, so I figured that Eric and Pam must be there already. Did he even live here? I had no idea. But I was willing to wait in my car for hours if that gave me the answers I was looking for.

A little bit awkwardly I knocked in the door where I would normally enter the bar. The sound of my knocks echoed through the parking lot and I hoped someone would open soon as I didn't want to be standing here like this for much longer.

I sighed in relief when Pam opened the door. Thank god, they were already here. "Pam," I began. "Is Eric here?"

She nodded. "I knew you couldn't stay away. He's in the office."

"Thanks," I muttered, stepping past her inside. Employees were setting up everything and someone was cleaning the dance floor in vampire speed, making me wish I could clean that fast.

From the last time I remembered where the office was and barged in without knocking, figuring Eric had already heard me at the door with his amazing hearing abilities.

"Rylie," Eric spoke when I had shut the door behind me. "What a lovely surprise. Here to take up on my offer are you?"

I raised my eyebrows at his cocky tone. He was seated in his chair behind his office, going through paperwork of some sorts. Didn't vampires hire accountants?

"Actually, I'm here to ask you some questions about that offer. You weren't really specific, you know."

"Which part confused you?" Eric said. He rose from his chair, taking slow steps towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. "The part about how other vampires will kill you if I don't protect you? I can explain it again if you want."

I rolled my eyes. He was on a roll today, wasn't he?

"Can I add, by the way, that you look lovely tonight? Did you dress up for me?" Arrogance was dripping off every word he spoke.

"I went on a date so no, this was not for you," I replied. I had to look up to look him in the eyes since he towered over me.

"A date?" Eric said. "Wonder who the lucky guy is."

I shook my head. I wasn't here to talk about my private life. My eyes met his again. "When you protect me, how are you going to do that? I mean, you're not gonna stand in front of my house every day, are you?"

"Why, would that bother you?" he smirked. "No, it's a lot simpler, in fact."

I furrowed my brows while I held my breath as he spoke.

"You just have to drink my blood."

"I have to do what?!" I said, shocked. In that case, I rather have him standing outside on my porch every night. "How's that gonna help me?"

I knew drinking Eric's blood meant any injuries would heal in an instant. Did his blood possess more powers that I was unaware off?

"Drink my blood. With my blood in your system, I'll be connected to you," Eric explained. He bowed his head to face me more directly. "Whenever something will happen to you, I will feel it. I'll be wherever you are in an instant, thus protecting you."

I frowned. Drinking his blood wasn't exactly what I had in mind, besides that, it was down right gross. The red liquid didn't look especially appealing. Maybe he could mix it with something else like tomato juice to hide the taste.

"Are there any other effects than that?" I asked. During my research on the internet I had stumbled on an article telling me about the side effects of the V drug. V was basically vampire blood, and it was supposed to give you an incredible high, way better than any joint you could smoke. V was taken in small quantities like one or two drops, was that enough to connect me to Eric?

"Hmm, no," Eric said. "Only amazing erotic dreams about me, but that should not really be considered a side effect, should it?"

I was taken aback. Erotic dreams about Eric? This blood thing was more confusing than I thought. There was so much information left out on the internet I felt I knew only the tip of the ice berg about vampires.

"And there aren't any other options?" I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

I had to admit that having a thousand year old vampire protecting you would make me feel more safe, although I wasn't sure what I had to be scared of in the first place. But drinking his blood was so extreme.

"Nope," Eric replied. "Unless you want to die. There is always that option."

I sighed. There was no way to know if Eric had been serious, if he had really known mermaids before me. But how bad could drinking his blood be? How bad could the dreams be? I'd probably forget them anyway as soon as I would wake up. If these little things would provide me protection from whatever dangers there were, maybe it was a small price to pay.

"Okay, let's do it," I finally decided.

A smile unraveled on Eric's face. "Excellent," he spoke.

"How much do I have to drink?" I asked, not wanting to consume any more blood than I'd have to.

"I'll tell you to stop," Eric assured me.

He moved his arm to his mouth, his fangs extracting. I gasped softly as he let them sink into his own wrist like he had done with Madison, except this time I would be drinking the blood.

After he had pulled his fangs out, he moved his arm to me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I was trying to imagine the taste of the blood. I let my lips find the two puncture holes, my hands grabbing his arm to keep it more steady. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see Eric's facial expression as he might make me more nervous than I already was.

His blood flowed into my mouth. I expected it to be warm and gross, but it was quite the opposite. While the flavor was interesting at first, it actually got better the more I drank. It was cold and it actually didn't taste that bad. Where human blood tasted of iron, vampire blood was a little sweet.

I felt like I had drank ounces of blood when Eric pulled his arm away. The puncture holes disappeared within seconds. With the back of my hand I wiped away some of the blood still left in the corners of my mouth before I lifted my gaze to face him again.

Eric raised his eyebrows in anticipation of my reaction.

"It wasn't that bad," I admitted honestly. The idea that from now on I would be connected to him, was a little strange and hard to apprehend. I had no idea how exactly it was gonna work out. Would he feel everything I felt? It seemed like every minute that I spend with Eric lead to me asking more and more questions while few got answered.

"Sweet dreams, Rylie," Eric chuckled. He had disappeared from the office before I could even open my mouth to reply.

* * *

**A/N: **I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I think it's one of my favorites so far! Things are starting to get interesting, hehe. Please let me know what your thoughts were and I will see you soon! Bye!


	7. The Big Sleep

One would expect to be tired after all that had happened that night, but I felt quite the opposite. My body was full of energy, my senses were heightened and it felt like I could do anything, no mountain was too high. Everything I had read about vampire blood had been true, except I had consumed such a big amount that I was already past the high.

When I stepped outside my car and into the brisk evening air, I looked up the sky. I had never noticed I could see the milky way from here. It was as if the sky had been illuminated with a thousand stars more than usual. I cocked my head slightly to the right as I gazed into the darkness, amazed by the effects of the vampire blood.

I had spent maybe fifteen minutes looking at the sky, as I was in complete awe of everything I could see. My hearing was also affected. Every little twig or leaf I stepped on seemed to made a loud noise as if someone set off a fire cracker right next to my ear.

When I got inside I took in a deep breath. I leaned against the back of the door. I was now in Eric's protection. He could sense me when I was in trouble and apparently he could even sense my emotions. Did it make me a little nervous? Yes. Did it make me feel more safe and secure? Yes. I had yet to figure out exactly how this blood bond worked out in practice, but the thought of him being always able to safe me felt comforting.

Since I had to work tomorrow (technically today) I decided to try and catch some sleep anyway. I wiped the make-up off my face, moisturized my skin, got out of my dress which I hung neatly over a chair, and got into my pajamas.

But when I was under the covers I realized how much energy I still had left. I couldn't even close my eyes without opening them a split second later. I sighed. I had to be fit to work tomorrow and I had no idea for how long Eric's blood was going to give me this energy. I pushed myself upwards and sat against the headboard of my bed. I remembered I had a couple of sleeping pills in my drawer, but since I didn't know if I could use those in combination with vampire blood, I decided against it. There was no other way but for me to stay up the entire night.

I gathered some pillows and blankets from my bed and dragged them with me downstairs. If I wasn't going to sleep I might as well watch a movie. Carefully I walked down the stairs, losing my pillows along the way but I didn't care enough to pick them up. I let the stuff I managed to get downstairs fall on the couch before letting my own body falling on top of it.

The only movie on so late at night was _Interview with a Vampire_. How ironic. I watched the movie closely, noting how wrong we had always been about vampires. Real life vampires were nothing like the ones Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were portraying. I chuckled softly as I tried to imagine a vampire watching this movie, shaking their head at everything that was portrayed wrongly.

Seeing those vampires made me remember what Eric had told me. _"Sweet dreams, Riley." _I felt a chill running down my spine and I had to admit I was a little glad I couldn't go to sleep tonight. I had no ideas what kind of dreams I would be having about him, but the thought of having dreams about him in the first place was slightly daunting. Maybe tomorrow the effects of his blood would've lessened and the dreams would become less likely. But who was I kidding really?

To my surprise I was still as energized when I was on my way to work. My body hadn't grown tired over night at all and I could argue I felt even better with the warm sun on my skin.

Working didn't even seem to be so bad today. I could get everything done at twice the speed I would normally do, even my boss was impressed. I was so upbeat and preppy that I surprised myself. I now fully understood why there were people addicted to V.

I felt the effect of the blood lessen throughout the evening. Lafayette had come over to drink cocktails with me. Obviously I hadn't told him about my blood bond with Eric. Instead I rambled on and on about Jason, although I had to admit my mind wandered over to Eric a lot of the time.

We were connected my blood. Our bodies, our minds. Everything was connected. He could feel what I feel. I had never experienced anything like this in my entire life.

When Lafayette had gone home I truly felt tired again. Throughout the day I had become slightly scared I wouldn't be able to sleep for another week, but I was glad to see how quickly the effects wore off. However sleep meant dreams, and dreams meant Eric.

I felt slightly uncomfortable as I closed my eyes, not sure what the hell I was going to dream about tonight. He had told me these dreams were going to be 'erotic.' But in what degree where they going to be erotic and how real where they going to feel? I had a lot of trouble to distinguish dreams between reality lately.

After a while my eyelids began to feel heavy and I couldn't keep them open anymore. I gave in and closed them, anticipating the dreams that I was about to dream.

But when I woke up I couldn't remember a thing. Had I even dreamed at all? I pushed myself upwards, shaking my head. I tried to recall anything that might have happened in my head while I had been sleeping, but there was nothing I could think of.

I smiled in content. I had been worried for nothing. For all I knew, Eric could've been lying about those erotic dreams. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he had made it up just to taunt me.

My body felt rested again, although I felt something in my stomach I couldn't place. A sense of longing. My mind immediately went to Jason and his amazingly well toned body. Oh my god, I wanted him so bad right now.

I suddenly gasped. I had totally forgotten about the increased libido. Secretly I had hoped I had skipped that phase, but it seemed to have kicked in during the night. I had been through all the side effects except for this one.

With my fingers I managed to grab my phone from the nightstand. Quickly I called Jason because it felt like my body was about to explode.

"Rylie, it's early," Jason spoke when he picked up the phone after what felt like ages.

"I know. I'm sorry," I replied. "But it's important. Could you come over please?"

My heart rate started to increase. If he wasn't coming to me I would be coming to him.

"For what?" he asked.

"Will you just please come?" I tried again.

Luckily Jason was never one to say no quickly. I heard him sulking for a bit as he got out of bed. He finally replied with: "Okay, I'll be there soon."

"I'll be waiting for you."

I put the phone down and quickly ran over to my closet. I knew exactly what I was gonna wear. Years ago I had bought an expensive set of lingerie. It was still buried somewhere in my closet and probably still had the tags on because I had never found the occasion to wear it.

My fingers stumbled upon something that felt lacy. I pulled it out, revealing my still brand-new lace thong and bra. It was jet black and made purely out of lace. I took off my night gown as quick as I could, put on the lingerie and topped it off with a robe. I didn't want the entire neighborhood to see what I was wearing when I would open the door for Jason.

It felt like he was taking ages to get here. My desire for him kept growing and growing. The only way I was able to calm myself down was that I knew Jason wanted this as bad as I wanted it right now.

When I heard his car pull up on the street, I quickly jumped up from the couch. In the mirror I fixed my hair and made sure I looked somewhat presentable. My heart was pounding when I opened the door.

He was wearing his work clothes, already slightly covered in sweat due to the heat and his sunglasses were resting on the tip of his nose. God, he looked so hot. Contain yourself, I told myself repeatedly. But it was so hard. Damn this vampire blood.

"Come in Jason," I breathed. My arm extended as my hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.

"Why are you not dressed?" he asked, a frown on his face.

"I am dressed," I replied. I let go of his wrist and began to untie my robe.

Jason quickly caught on to what I was doing. His eyes wandered to my hands. My hands grabbed fabric as I began to slide it off my body, letting it fall to the ground. It was amazing how satisfying this was. His eyes on my body seemed to be doing the trick.

He grabbed my waist with his fingers, his hands feeling slightly damp on my skin. I gasped as I felt him pressing his body against mine.

"I thought you had this no-sex-on-a-first-date rule?" Jason smirked. One hand stayed on my waist as his other moved down on my butt, his fingers slightly pinching them.

"This is not a date," I replied, breathing heavily. I placed my hand in his neck as I pulled him closer to me, letting my lips meet his.

While Jason smelled like sweat, his mouth tasted sweet. I now felt like I was in control of the fire in me. No longer was my body sending out urges as Jason's body was pressed against mine.

He led me to the living room, lowering me on the couch before pressing his body on his. My fingers found the hem of his shirt and I started to pull it over his head.

I gasped softly when I felt his abs pressed against my bare stomach. Jason seemed to be more muscled than he already was, but maybe the vampire blood was distorting my sense of reality. It felt like I was living in a dream, the dream Eric told me I was gonna have about him. Except I was with Jason, which seemed to be so much better.

Jason moved his head besides mine, placing soft kisses in my neck as his hands touched every inch of my body.

When Jason had to leave for work, I felt relieved and happy. My body was at rest again. No longer was I fighting the urges of the vampire blood. I could proudly say I had survived all stages.

I had spent the rest of the day watching tv shows, enjoying this new calmness. For dinner I had fixed myself a quick omelette since it was too hot to cook anything more elaborate.

When I was about to head back to the living room from the kitchen, my eyes fell on someone standing outside on the porch. I could see a silhouette through the blinds in the window next to the front door. The silhouette was incredibly tall and I already knew who it was.

"Eric, what are you doing here?" I asked when I yanked the door open. He really needed to stop showing up uninvited like that.

He turned around to face me, a smirk covering his face like I was used of him. "I came to check up on you, Rylie."

I raised my eyebrows and scoffed. "Are you sure our blood bond works because as far as I remember I was not in danger tonight."

"Oh, but I'm pretty sure I felt something," Eric continued. He looked past me inside. I quickly stepped aside to cover his view. I wasn't going to invite him in. My home was the only place in the world where I was completely safe. If Eric wanted to protect me he could do so from my porch.

"Well you must have felt wrong," I replied.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward so he could face me better. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I might have felt an increased heart rate. Maybe I also felt urges? _Sexual_ urges? Might have felt wrong, though."

Oh my god. He felt that? My eyes widened. I knew Eric would be able to sense my emotions but I had no idea to what extent. Did this mean I could never have sex without him being able to sense it?

"Are you jealous?" I replied snarky. This game could be played by two.

"I don't know, why don't you invite me in so you can find out."

I shook my head. I couldn't do this, not right now. Yes, I was attracted to Eric Northman, I mean look at him. I also had to admit I also kind of liked the danger that came with him. I trusted him. He wouldn't hurt me, yet he was still a vampire. Did he like me for me? Or was the only reason he wanted me because I was a mermaid and my blood was something he had never tasted before.

"I have had enough sex for the day, as you know," I replied, still a little disturbed he had felt the entire thing. How was I going to explain to Jason we couldn't do it again because a vampire could feel everything I felt?

Eric remained quiet but he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Before he was able to speak again I quickly spoke. "Eric, it's not gonna happen. Not tonight."

"Not tonight, huh?" he smirked. "I'll come back tomorrow then."

I sighed. I really needed to choose my words more carefully around him.

Eric flew away into the night sky, sending a gush of wind through my hair. My eyes looked around the porch, seeing if someone was there who could've heard this conversation but everything appeared to be empty. I turned around and closed the door behind me, leaning against it while my mind was all over the place and my heart was racing.

This blood bond was stronger than I had anticipated. A lot stronger. I felt so stupid for underestimating it. But then again how was I supposed to know Eric would be able to feel _everything_?

With mixed feelings I turned to my bed. This night could best be forgotten about and besides, I had to work tomorrow anyway.

I woke up from the sound of my doorbell. I shot up and ran down the stairs, not even bothering to put on a robe. Slightly out of breath I opened the door, where I found Eric standing. I cocked my head to the side, wanting to ask what he was doing here again. I had told him off before, didn't I? But instead I said. "I invite you in."

A sly smile appeared on Eric's face. I watched his feet cross the doorway, my heart pounding.

Suddenly he began to move at vampire speed. His hand grabbed my waist, pushing the hem of my shirt, the only thing I was wearing beside panties, upwards to touch my bare skin. With ease he picked me up and before I realized I was laying on my bed, Eric on top of me.

"I've waited so long for this," Eric whispered in my ear before softly nibbling on my earlobe.

I could only gasp when I felt his strong fingers taking off my panties before he started to remove his own clothing.

"Me too," I breathed.

His lips crashed against mine, his tongue asking for entry. My hands grabbed his back as I let my tongue find his. I felt tingles going down my spines when I noticed he had his fangs out. Was he going to bite me? Suddenly the thought of it didn't seem so bad.

I moved my head to the side to expose my neck. "Do it," I said breathless. "Do it, please."

Eric hesitated for a second, his eyes fixated on the pulsing artery. He moved his head back, and then he let his fangs sink into my neck.

I woke up.

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**A/N:** I bet you all enjoyed this chapter ;) And don't worry, this story will not be Rylie/Jason! I will not be going there I promise you! So what did you think of Rylie's first Eric dream? Please let me know! I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts. Take care and until next time!


	8. Deadline at Dawn

My hand shot up to my neck, but I could feel no bite marks. The room was eerily empty and I felt a bit nauseous. I ran my fingers through my hair, realizing I was covered in sweat. This was definitely the dream Eric had been talking about. The _erotic_ dream. After last night I had hoped I would never have one, but of course I had been wrong.

I sat up straight against the headboard, trying to process everything I had dreamt about. It had made me feel confused. In my dream I seemed to have no problem with letting Eric in, kissing him, even letting him bite me. Were these dreams my subconscious trying to tell myself something? Did I want this, deep down inside?

Light was streaming through my blinds. My eyes shot to my alarm clock. Oh shit. I had overslept. I was supposed to be at work an hour ago. There was no more time to think about what the dream meant. I jumped up out of bed, dressed as quickly as I possibly could, hoping my hair didn't look like a complete mess as I didn't have any time to brush it. Breakfast had to wait until lunch.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" I managed to get out.

My boss looked at me, cocking one eyebrow. "This is unacceptable, Rylie."

I raised my hands. "I know, and I'm sorry. It has never happened to me before and it won't ever happen again."

"You're right," my boss said. "It won't ever happen again because you're fired."

I scoffed. Did I just hear him right? Did he just say I was fired? I was their best employee for crying out loud.

"What?" I asked. "I have worked here for many years. You can't just fire me."

"Yes I can, Rylie. Truth is, we had multiple complaints about you, being an hour late was the final drop. Please get your stuff and get out."

I shook my head. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Why had I never heard about these complaints before? This was unfair. How could I improve when I had no idea I was doing something wrong. The anger in me was rising again. I could not believe I was being put on the spot like this in the middle of the store, with all the customers eavesdropping our conversation.

"I won't get out," I stated. "Not until you explain to me exactly what I did wrong."

"Rylie, don't make this more difficult than it has to be. Just leave," my boss said, trying to calm me down.

Somehow that worked against me and it only made matters worse. "No!" I said, waving my arms. "I'm not going!"

Suddenly the entire store had grown quiet. All the bottles of Coca Cola that had been stacked up behind me seemed to be spritzing Coke everywhere, caps where flying all around us.

My eyes widened upon the sight. Shit. I had done it again. My anger had taken over my body and for some reason that seemed to release my mermaid powers.

"What is happening?" my boss asked, a confused look on his face. A few customers where looking at the bottles of coke which were making a mess through the entire front of the store, their eyes growing wide. "I'm gonna call the cops."

"No!" I hurried. I put my hand on his as he tried to dial in the numbers. "Please don't. It's just a misunderstanding."

I turned my body towards the customers. "It's nothing people! It's just the pressure from the heat that made those Coke bottles explode!" I quickly managed to get them all out of the store, apologizing for the mess, telling them we'd be opening again soon. In my mind I made a note of all the people I had sent away.

"It's impossible for those bottles to explode like because of the heat, Rylie," my boss said. I noticed his hands were trembling. Was he scared of me?

"But they don't know that," I replied.

"How did you do that?" he stumbled, still clutching the phone in his hand. I managed to release his grip on it, quickly sliding it in my own pocket.

"I didn't."

"Are you one of them vampires?"

I had to contain myself so I wouldn't laugh. "It's light outside. I think it would be impossible for me to be here if I was a vampire."

My boss had seen something today that he shouldn't. My powers had been exposed to a few of the inhabitants of Bon Temps. It wouldn't take long for a story like this to go all around town. "Rylie Montgomery is like a special vampire!" I couldn't have those rumors about me going around, what if real vampires started to pick up on it?

I knew exactly who could help me in this situation. Eric. He would be able to glamour everyone who had seen the coke bottles explode, he could make sure my secret would be safe and I knew he would help me. The only problem I had that it was morning. I had to think of a way to keep my boss close to me until nightfall.

My eyes fell on a roll of duct tape behind him. The plan that just popped into my head better work, because there was no way I would be going to jail for this.

I extended my arm and grabbed the tape. "Stay still," I ordered. It looked as if my boss still feared me. He remained motionless and just looked at me with wide eyes, as if I was some kind of monster. Considering the thing that I was about to do, maybe I was one.

My fingers rolled the duct tape around his wrist, making sure I didn't tape them too tightly together. "What are you doing?" my boss spoke softly. He truly seemed to be afraid of me. It was as he was paralyzed, not daring to make a move. Little did he know that I couldn't do what I did before on command.

"I'm just taking you with me for the day, okay?" I hurried to the main entrance door and locked it before hurrying back.

Out of precaution I placed a piece of tape over his mouth, telling him it would only be temporary. I took him with me out of the backdoor, hoping that nobody would see me kidnapping my boss.

Luckily I had parked my truck close to the back of the store, as I usually parked it in front, and without being seen, I managed to get him in the passenger's seat. My boss seemed to be frozen, trying to process what was happening to him. He was all tough while firing me, but look at him now, I thought.

I closed his door, standing still for a moment as it suddenly dawned on me. _Oh my god_. I was kidnapping my boss. I was actually kidnapping someone. A slight state of panic took over. What the fuck was I doing?

I softly slapped myself on the cheek. No, snap out of it. This is necessary. This has to happen. I shook my head. Eric had undoubtedly felt my anger and my state of panic, I knew he would come to me as soon as night fell. He would glamour my boss and everything would go back to normal. Kidnapping him was the only option there was right now.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I told my boss, who seemed to be pressed in the seat as far as possible, as if he was trying to get some distance between me and him.

I had placed my boss on my couch, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. I didn't dare to take the tape off his mouth, scared he would yell for help and the neighbors would hear him. Every now and then I would bring him a glass of water which I let him drink before putting the tape back on. I also switched on the television and hoped he liked _Dr. Phil_.

When I was getting him water again I tried my powers again, but nothing happened. The water remained still, it didn't even shake in the slightest. Only a few hours ago I made bottles of Coke explode, now I couldn't even do that to a single glass of water. It seemed that my powers were connected to one emotion: anger, and so far I had not been able to control it.

It seemed to take ages to get dark. I had already fed my boss a sandwich to make sure he wouldn't die on me or anything when it finally started to get dark. I could honestly say these had been the most anxious hours of my life. I was living in a constant state of fear. Fear of the cops suddenly showing up at my door, but nobody had dropped by.

I watched the sun set from the kitchen, hurrying to the front door, opening it to await Eric. My boss hadn't made a sound all evening and I was wondering if I had brought him into a state of shock. But there was no need to worry about it, Eric would be here soon.

"What happened?" Eric said. He suddenly stood before me. I hadn't seen or heard him arriving but I let out a sigh of relief that he was here. Maybe that blood bond was a good idea after all.

"It happened again," I spoke.

"Your powers?" Eric asked, frowning.

I nodded. "And I kinda kidnapped my boss."

"Rylie, that's dark, even for me," Eric chuckled softly.

"Stop laughing and help me," I said. He needed to glamour my boss as soon as possible. "He's in the living room. Come on in."

I was already across the hallway when I realized what I had said. I turned around and watched Eric step in, just like in my dream. My safe haven had just become another danger zone.

"You duct taped him?" Eric said, laying his eyes on my boss.

"Yeah, what else was I supposed to do?" I said, kneeling before him to take off the tape from his mouth and hands. I knew he wouldn't be able to run away, not with Eric there.

Eric chuckled, but quickly caught up on what I was trying to do. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"That he fired me and I left the store peacefully. The coke bottle explosion happened because of the heat."

Eric cocked his eyebrow. "I could fire him for you, make you in charge?"

I shook my head. "No. I think I've done enough damage already. I'll find something else."

Eric nodded and glamoured my boss, telling him exactly what I had told him. I continued to ask Eric if I had to be worried about the other customers, but he told me he'd stop by if I gave him a list with name and addresses.

When he was finished glamouring my boss, he simply got up without saying anything, and walked right out of the door, as if he hadn't been kidnapped hours before.

"I can't believe I kidnapped someone," I said when I watched my boss leave my house.

"Another thing to cross off your bucket list," Eric smirked. He sat down next to me on the couch, his leg touching mine.

"I'm glad you think it's funny," I said, not really finding it funny myself. I now definitely had to get my groceries at a different place. There was no way I could ever see that man without feeling extremely guilty, even though he couldn't remember anything that had happened.

"You did what you had to do, Rylie. You protected yourself."

I nodded, hoping Eric was right. Kidnapping was not something I was proud of, but this town was my home, I couldn't let it get taken away from me just because someone found out I was a supernatural.

"Have you tried doing it again?" Eric asked, referring to my powers.

"Yeah, but it didn't work. It seems like it is triggered by my anger."

Eric furrowed his brows, thinking. I was wondering what was going on inside of his head. If anyone would have answers about my powers, it would be him. But even for Eric it seemed to be a mystery.

"So, how were those dreams about me?"

I scoffed. "If you keep bringing up those dreams, I'll have to resent your invitation."

"You've had them?" Eric said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Did you like it?"

I rolled my eyes before looking at him. "Stop."

Maybe I had liked that dream. Even the part when he drank my blood seemed to have excited me in my dreams. I had always wondered what it was like, doing it with a vampire.

"Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Eric began to lean in, moving his head closer to mine. My heart started to pound uncontrollably and I hoped he couldn't feel it.

There was no denying that I didn't wanted this, because I did. I took initiative and pressed my lips on his. My heart rate kept on increasing, as was my desire for Eric. His hand cupped my face while his other grabbed my hair.

When his head moved besides mine, and he started to place kisses on my neck, I felt a little uncomfortable. As much as I trusted Eric, he was still a vampire.

"Eric, stop," I said, pushing him back so I could face him. "I don't want you to drink my blood, okay? Not tonight."

He nodded. "Okay. I promise." He continued by placing a kiss on my lips before going back to the spot he had been kissing before. It required a lot of trust to let a vampire kiss you right where a perfect artery full of blood was, but somehow I trusted Eric entirely. If he promised he would't bite me, he wouldn't bite me. Maybe I had to admit it. I was falling for Eric Northman and I was falling hard.

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**A/N:** My apologies for the long wait! University has started again and I'm trying to find the time to write. Please let me know what you think of this chapter ;) Eric and Rylie are getting it on, hehe. Please review and until next time! :D


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